The Jungle
by Cadet Deming
Summary: The Joes try to stop a Cobra plot, and get more than they bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

"The Jungle"  
  
By: "Cadet Deming"  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Hasbro, Devil's Due, and Marvel do, so please don't sue.  
  
This story is told more in the manner of a Sunbow cartoon episode. It does contain references and characters from my work, "There's No Place Like Springfield Part 3" (For those of you who want to know what happened to Frederica after all) but it still can stand on its own, and the narrative point of view has shifted. PG-13 rated. Contains violence, adult language, and situations. (I'm not making fun of handicapped people; I'm making fun of Snake-Eyes). Reviews welcome.  
  
Flint picked up a copy of the glossy, "Variety Magazine" from his girlfriend's pine coffee table.  
  
"Miramax Grabs Griffin Laffer for 5 Million", he read. "Honestly, Lady Jaye, I don't know why you read this Hollywood garbage," he said, with a combination of exasperation and affection.  
  
"Well I am technically an actress you know. I need to keep track of the Hollywood scene," she said with a smirk.  
  
"You're one of the world's greatest military intelligence operatives, you're not some ditzy starlet," he said.  
  
"Just because I'm a member of America's foremost anti-terrorist strike force doesn't mean I can't kick back with something fun every once in awhile. Besides, don't you ever wonder where you'd be if you never joined GIJOE or the Army?" she asked, taking the magazine back from him.  
  
"HHMMMMMM. If I wasn't a Rhodes Scholar with a degree in English Lit turned Green Beret?" Flint seemed to ponder thoughtfully. "I guess I would be a college professor back in Kansas. Of course, since I'm such a stunningly handsome guy, a lot of my female students would get crushes on me. I'd have to turn them down of course, and one girl would go psycho and falsely accuse me of coming on to her to get back at me for rejecting her. Then I'd wind up getting fired from my position and..on second thought, I'll take the hazards of fighting Cobra over the hazards of Academia any day," he said dryly.  
  
"Modest as ever. Although our own "Warrant Officer Man" with "Enlisted Woman" dating situation isn't exactly a good career move for either of us," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"I wouldn't worry about it. So long as we both do our jobs, the top brass will look the other way on the anti-fraternization laws," he said.  
  
"I hope you continue to be right about that, Flint," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"Aren't I always right about everything?" he grinned.  
  
"Do I have to answer that question?" asked Lady Jaye playfully.  
  
Suddenly, an authoritative voice boomed over the loudspeaker: "Attention! All Intelligence Personnel are to report to General Hawk's office in 0200 hours. Attendance is mandatory!"  
  
"So much for our rest and relaxation. I guess I won't be able to escape to Hollywood after all," sighed Lady Jaye.  
  
"We had an Intel briefing scheduled for next week. For General Hawk to call a meeting so soon.something big is going on." He frowned.  
  
Two hours later....  
  
Flint and Lady Jaye walked into General Hawk's office. Mahogany panels lined the walls, along with pictures and newspaper clippings of the GIJOE's exploits. General Hawk adorned the place with memorabilia, not just of himself, but of the entire "JOE team." The room itself was relatively small for a general of Hawk's stature, as he wasn't the kind of man to grandstand or put on airs.  
  
Lady Jaye and Flint settled into some black chairs along with the rest of the GIJOE Intelligence Team. Across a table from them sat Snake-Eyes and Scarlett. Snake-Eyes was the team's commando. He was mute and badly burned from a battle accident. He was "speaking" in sign-language to Scarlett.  
  
Scarlett was the team's Counterintelligence expert. She slightly outranked Lady Jaye in position and experience, and was most notable for her fiery red hair. She greeted Lady Jaye and Flint cordially, and then returned to her "conversation" with Snake-Eyes.  
  
"I call this meeting to attention," said General Hawk. Everyone immediately straightened up.  
  
"As you well know, Duke has stepped away from the GI JOE Field Commander position and been serving in Black Ops. He has returned with some news of great importance." If the Joes hadn't have been so professional a murmur would have gone through the room at the mention of Duke's name. He had mysteriously left the team 1 year ago to work with a shadowy CIA-style government agency and had barely been heard from since.  
  
General Hawk pressed a button, and a side door opened. Duke walked in. Instead of the combat fatigues he had worn for so many years, he sported a crisp "Men In Black" style tailored suit. His blonde hair was still in the same short crewcut that Lady Jaye remembered, but his previously youthful All-American good-looks were replaced by deep lines across his brow, and his formerly cheerful blue eyes seemed sharper and darker, hinting at things best left unseen or unsaid.  
  
"Greetings" and "Welcome Backs" were exchanged around the table.  
  
Duke smiled grimly. "I wish I could meet you all under better circumstances, but unfortunately I'm here on serious business. Who here is familiar with the situation in Burugundi?" he asked.  
  
Snake-Eyes began to gesticulate wildly.  
  
"MMMMMMM. No offense Snake-eyes, but who here that can speak English is familiar with it?" said Duke.  
  
Scarlett chimed in, "I haven't visited it myself, but I've read the reports. Burugundi is a Sub-Saharan African nation. It's been ripped apart by Civil War for 30 years. A new prime minister warlord seems to come into power every few months, only to be overthrown by a new faction. Although it is perennially on the Top 10 List...of Amnesty International's greatest human rights violators".  
  
Lady Jaye added," I haven't visited it myself either...U.S. State Department warnings against American citizens traveling there and all...but I've seen a lot of articles on how it has the highest rate of AIDS and lowest GDP in the world."  
  
"Well, these facts have been informative yet depressing, but how does this affect GIJOE?" asked Flint.  
  
Duke pressed a button and a slide show started. A picture of a press release in a foreign language appeared.  
  
"Does anyone here read or speak Burugundi," asked Duke.  
  
"I think I missed it at the Monterey Language School" said Lady Jaye.  
  
Duke aimed a laser pointer at the phrase "EXTENSIVE ENTERPRISES" in the clip.  
  
"Need I say anything in Burugundi anymore?" Duke deadpanned.  
  
"Extensive Enterprises. Cobra's front corporation. So do we have evidence that Cobra is backing any sides in the never-ending civil war?" asked Flint.  
  
"Well, an awfully large amount of the artillery and tanks on all of the sides are provided by Destro's MARS corporation. Of course, Destro supplies a lot of the artillery and tanks in any unlawful skirmish, so that's nothing to set off immediate alarm. But in the past few months, we've seen an increase in Cobra activity, including visits from Cobra's High Command. There isn't an army there. Yet. but from what little we've been able to pinpoint, Cobra has something big planned.  
  
"So, why don't we just go in and blast the snakes with our non-MARS artillery and tanks?" asked Flint.  
  
General Hawk interjected: "Unfortunately, we can't. The present prime minister of Burugundi is hostile to the U.S., and friendly to Extensive Enterprise's "investment" in the area. We can't send a group in force, and I can't get NATO or UN backing on this until we have more proof of an international threat."  
  
"My proposal is we send a small mission of reconnaissance and jungle specialists to find out what Cobra is up to. If we get more evidence, then we can get clearance to send in the cavalry" said Duke.  
  
"Flint, I want you to take Lady Jaye, Roadblock, and Recondo, with you. You ship out tomorrow. Yo Joe!" said General Hawk.  
  
A chorus of "Yo Joes" was exchanged.  
  
Lady Jaye and the others walked towards the door. She noticed an antique map of the world was opened on a table. The African continent dominated the middle of the parchment it was painted on. Across the place where modern- day Burugundi was located, were scrawled the words :"HERE THERE BE DRAGONS". 


	2. Chapter 2

"The Jungle Chapter 2"  
  
by "Cadet Deming"  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Hasbro, Devil's Due, and Sunbow do, so please don't sue. Rated PG-13.  
  
Dr. Mindbender, Cobra's Director of Science, held a small white laboratory mouse in his gloved hands. He was speaking to it in the strange cooing tones people only use around babies and pets.  
  
"Aren't you a stupid little mouse? You're such a stupid furry rodent and you have no idea I'm going to cut you up and dissect you. Oh no you don't. Oh no you don't," he purred to it.  
  
"Doctor, you really need," said a tall, younger man behind him.  
  
"To get out of the lab more often," finished the younger man's twin, identical to his brother in every way except for a scar that marred the right side of his face.  
  
Mindbender quickly turned around to face the two brothers.  
  
"I....was just..well, I'm so used to doing experiments on human test subjects that old habits like talking to my victims..die hard," he said as he quickly put the animal back in its cage.  
  
"And do you tell your human subjects," said Tomax, the first twin.  
  
"That they're furry little mice you're going to dissect," finished his brother Xamot mockingly.  
  
"Must I remind you Crimson Guard Commanders that I'm the second in command of Cobra under the Emperor Serpentor? You should treat me with more deference," said the Doctor.  
  
"Must we remind you," said Tomax.  
  
"That our corporation Extensive Enterprises," said Xamot.  
  
"Is financing your project," the twins both finished.  
  
"And you'll earn back your investment a million times over, once my experiments are complete!" said Mindbender.  
  
"I hope your experiments", said Tomax.  
  
"Are completed soon," said Xamot.  
  
"A televiper intercepted a message," said Tomax.  
  
"From a GIJOE Tomahawk Helicopter that landed in an abandoned airfield last night," said Xamot.  
  
"GIJOE is in the area," the brothers said with contempt creeping into their voices.  
  
"What the Bloody Blue Blazes! Not now! Not when I'm so close!," the scientist's manner changed from his usual mode of manic neurotic energy into something quickly approaching psychotic.  
  
"If it's reassuring, we've only seen evidence," said Tomax.  
  
"Of one JOE Tomahawk," said his brother.  
  
"But we've seen the damage that even one Joe can inflict on us! This sounds like a spy operation! We cannot let the Joes find out what we're doing!" the Doctor shouted.  
  
"An understatement, dear doctor," said Tomax.  
  
"What do you propose", asked Xamot.  
  
"I order you to find the Joes and bring them to me. Dead or alive. Preferably dead, although I can always use a few new test subjects. It's so hard to find healthy volunteers these days," Mindbender said.  
  
"Are you going to say," said Tomax.  
  
"This I Command, now" asked his twin.  
  
"That's Serpentor's catchphrase. Mine is Excellent" said the Doctor.  
  
"Well, anything is better than," said Tomax.  
  
"Cobra Commander's infamous," said Xamot.  
  
"RETREAT! RETREAT" the twins chimed as they left the room laughing.  
  
Dr. Mindbender cautiously looked to the left and then the right. He opened a cage and pulled out a hamster.  
  
"Aren't you a stupid DOOMED little vermin? Yes you are ..YESSS you are", he cooed to it.  
  
  
  
Flint, Lady Jaye, Roadblock, and Recondo drove down a bumpy dirt road in Burugundi. Recondo, the team's jungle specialist, drove the rusty jeep that he had commandeered for the group. The Joes were all disguised in native clothes, although they were fully armed.  
  
"Could you slow down for a moment Recondo? I'm still sore from those immunization shots that Lifeline and Doc made us take." Said Flint.  
  
Lady Jaye joked, "So what you're saying is, your ass is still sore from last night. Now there's a statement that could be easily misinterpreted in so many ways," she blushed.  
  
"Well, it's not my fault Doc no longer believes in giving soldiers shots in the arm anymore," said Flint.  
  
"If needles make you nervous Flint, look on the bright side. No blood bank will ever ask any of us to donate once they see we've spent 5 minutes in Burugundi. We're 70 miles from the place people think AIDS got started," said Recondo.  
  
"You really know how to cheer a guy up Recondo. And as far as the US government is concerned, none of us are here. We can't even contact the US Embassy, because it was bombed 2 years ago. And could you... just ..slow..down " said Flint, wincing as the jeep hit several bumps in the road.  
  
"I'm just trying to get us as far down the truck route as possible before night falls. That's when all the rogue Burugundi soldiers and thieves come out to play. Not to mention the jungle's animal predators," said Recondo as he pulled the jeep over to the side.  
  
"We're not safe here during the day. That's when Cobra gets its way," said Roadblock, the team's burly heavy artillery operator. He carried the team's rocket launcher, and could make Ving Rhames look cuddly.  
  
At that moment, a group of 4 men in Cobra's bright red Crimson Guard uniforms road by on 3-wheeled off-road "Cobra Ferrets". Lady Jaye and the other Joes all instinctively covered themselves up further in their native disguises.  
  
"Tail them.discreetly of course," said Flint.  
  
Recondo carefully pulled behind a truck following the path of the Crimson Guard "Siegies".  
  
"It makes me sick, seeing Cobra prancing around in broad daylight, while we have to hide like we're the criminals," said Flint.  
  
"The rules are different in Burugundi, Flint. Cobra is on friendly terms with the Prime Minister Mogashu Modembi. The U.S. is seen as a corrupt fat cat empire here." said Lady Jaye.  
  
The Siegies pulled up to a rickety-looking building. They got off their Ferrets, and one knocked on the door. A sickly old woman opened it, and she had what appeared to be a heated conversation with the men.  
  
Recondo traveled farther down the road. Once they were out of sight of the house, he pulled into a small clearing hidden off the side of the road.  
  
"Sorry, but this is the closest I could park without making them suspicious", said Recondo.  
  
"It's good enough. Lady Jaye, see if you can get closer and see what they're up to. Try to plant this tracer so we can track them from a safer distance," said Flint , handing Jaye a small amplifying recording device, and a tracking signal.  
  
Lady Jaye carefully crawled through the dense underbrush of the jungle. She quietly placed the tracking device on the nearest Ferret, and used the amplifying device to eavesdrop on the Cobra officer's conversation. It did her no good, because everyone was speaking in fluent Burugundi. She returned to the other Joes.  
  
"Did you pick up anything when you planted the tracking device?" Flint asked Lady Jaye.  
  
"Not really. The whole conversation was in Burugundi except.something just occurred to me," said Jaye frowning.  
  
"And that would be?" asked Flint.  
  
"Well, I observed an old woman speaking in fluent Burugundi with 4 Cobra agents. Linguistically, Burugundi is a very difficult dialect to learn. It's not European Romance Language, and it's not simple like African Swahili, "said Lady Jaye.  
  
"So maybe Cobra's got a Berlitz Academy for 3rd world country grammar," said Roadblock.  
  
"Or maybe, Cobra's been here a lot longer and has more invested than we thought," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"I'm beginning to think we need more than 4 operatives, " said Flint, as he opened a small screen with a blinking light on it.  
  
"Looks like they're moving again. We'll wait for them to pass and then we'll follow as close as possible without being in hearing distance," said Flint.  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault the only car I could hot-wire didn't come with a muffler," said Recondo.  
  
"Hot-wire? You STOLE it? We shouldn't be breaking the law here." said Lady Jaye.  
  
"What did you think I did? Take out a 5 year loan with a Lexus dealer? Besides, things get stolen all the time here. It's the law of the jungle, baby" said Recondo.  
  
"These people are poverty stricken enough! You could have taken someone's livelihood," said Jaye angrily.  
  
"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it," said Recondo.  
  
"Look, next time I'll ask where the transportation materializes from, but we've got a job to do. Would you rather we walked?" asked Flint.  
  
"When you put it that way, no," conceded Lady Jaye.  
  
Recondo started the jeep and they drove for several miles. Flint looked down at the screen in his hand.  
  
"They've changed direction off of the main road. Any way we can make a right and follow?" asked Flint.  
  
Recondo slowed the jeep to a stop at the sight of the Ferret tracks' change in direction.  
  
"No can do. They don't have to stick to the road since they're on 3- wheelers. This jeep can't follow," he sighed.  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Roadblock.  
  
"To repeat Flint, would you rather walk?" asked Recondo.  
  
He parked the car behind a copse of trees, and the Joes all started traveling on foot. Recondo slashed any vines in the thick underbrush ahead of them, as Flint tracked the signal on the screen. They eventually came to a large clearing and started to cross it.  
  
"Wait a second, the signal just stopped", said Flint, frowning.  
  
"No problem. I can still track their tire-marks the old-fashioned way," said Recondo.  
  
"The signal is traceable for up to 50 miles. It wouldn't stop unless.somebody found it," said Flint, as he glanced worriedly towards the end of the clearing.  
  
"Maybe we better get off this trail right now," said Roadblock.  
  
The sound of an engine menaced in the distance. Suddenly, a group of 10 Siegies on Ferrets, led by Tomax and Xamot appeared on the horizon.  
  
"CCOOOOOOOOOOO," shouted Tomax.  
  
"BBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAA," screamed his brother, as the herd of Ferrets descended on the Joes firing lasers. 


	3. Chapter 3

"The Jungle Chapter 3"  
  
By "Cadet Deming"  
  
Thanks to the people that like it. I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Hasbro, Devil's Due, and Sunbow do, so please don't sue. Rated PG-13. Contains violence and adult content. It's the first real "action scene" that I've written, so go easy on me. This takes place immediately after Chapter 2.  
  
"Aim for their tires", screamed Flint, as he and the other Joes took cover behind the density of the nearest trees and began firing their lasers back at the oncoming horde of Siegies on Ferrets.  
  
Roadblock aimed the rocket launcher he'd been carrying, and it sent a shell that exploded in front of the attacking 3 wheelers. Two vehicles were hit, and four more men behind them careened and crashed into the wreckage. The remaining Siegies pressed on relentlessly.  
  
Lady Jaye in the meantime ducked behind a massive tree trunk. She fired off as many laser shot blasts as she could, and then quickly ducked for cover again as she struggled to reload another cartridge of laser fire. Although she was used to fighting under intense conditions, she wasn't used to taking on 3-wheelers on foot in torrid 98-degree weather.  
  
She popped the clip of ammunition in her stun gun and tried to take aim at 2 more incoming Siegies. Lady Jaye felt a laser blast hit the tree mere inches from her face. She could even feel the blistering heat of it, deadlier even than the sweltering air already surrounding her. The lasers were designed to not set wood on fire, so she was safe in that regard.  
  
"What are we going to do? There's still 4 more Cobras on Ferrets including the Twins, and we don't know how many more could be on the way," Lady Jaye gasped.  
  
Flint panted, trying to catch his breath: "I've got an idea. If we could just capture 1 of the Twins, we could get the other to call off the rest of their forces."  
  
"Great Flint, you just had to pick 2 of the guys that are still on wheels," said Jaye.  
  
Flint leaped over the trunk and started running straight at Xamot's oncoming Ferret, still firing and dodging Xamot's laser fire.  
  
"I always knew that Flint ain't lazy, but now I'm wondering, IS HE CRAZY?" shouted Roadblock.  
  
Flint and Xamot kept barreling towards each other, in a seemingly suicidal game of chicken. When the Ferret was 10 feet away from Flint, he suddenly took a flying leap. He grabbed and tackled Xamot, the force tumbling the two of them off of the Ferret. The sound of the two men hitting the ground was almost as loud as the sound of Xamot's 3-wheeler hitting the tree, causing it to burst into flames.  
  
However, Xamot and Tomax had a well-documented psychic bond, so when Xamot was roughly thrown to the ground, his twin in an eerie display of psychic empathy also fell off of his Ferret.  
  
"Stop! Or I shoot Tomax!" screamed Flint, pointing a bulleted gun at the Crimson Guard Commander underneath him.  
  
"I'm Xamot, you dolt. Tomax is the one that doesn't have a scar," said Xamot, coughing up blood.  
  
"Wait! Siegies stop now!" shouted Tomax, as he weakly stood up, still shaken from his mimicked fall. The remaining Crimson Guardsmen stopped firing and driving, but their body language showed they weren't happy about it.  
  
"You stop firing. You let us Joes take the remaining Ferrets, and your brother lives. If not," said Flint menacingly, as he shoved the end of his gun into Xamot's neck: "I guess you'll have to learn what it's like to finish all of your sentences by yourself."  
  
Tomax glared at Flint with sheer hatred. "What makes you think," he asked.  
  
"You'll get 20 feet with me," finished Xamot.  
  
"You see that 3-wheeler that just crashed against that tree over there? It's already caught fire. Over the next few minutes, that fire is going to spread to the rest of this jungle. Judging by the numbers of you, I'd make a wild and crazy guess that we're right near your Cobra base. Not a great place to have a forest fire now, is it? I suggest you'd put that fire out before you come after us Joes. If you let us go, your brother lives. Do we have an understanding?" asked Flint.  
  
"It's all right, Tomax," his twin coughed. "The Joes can't legally harm a prisoner of war," he said.  
  
Tomax looked back at the growing fire and back at his brother. He frowned: "The Joes can go free..for now. Siegies, get the water truck out here ASAP!"  
  
He turned back to Flint," You can go, but if you harm one hair on my brother's head," he said.  
  
"You'll never leave his continent," finished Xamot, still in Flint's grasp.  
  
Flint scanned the 3-wheelers for tracking devices. He blindfolded and handcuffed Xamot's hands in front of him. He and the Joes quickly got on the remaining Ferrets, and the 5 took off.  
  
"So where to now," asked Roadblock.  
  
"I saw some abandoned farmhouses along the road, maybe we...Hey, isn't this where I parked the jeep?" said Recondo. The car was no where to be seen.  
  
"Maybe someone stole it back. It's the law of the jungle you know," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"These 3-wheelers are more versatile anyway. And we really need to set up camp. It's getting dark out," said Flint.  
  
The Joes continued for awhile until they came to an old run down farmhouse.  
  
"This place looks.....abandoned," said Recondo.  
  
"Abandoned as in dilapidated, moldy, smelly."continued Lady Jaye.  
  
"You were expecting the Honeymoon Suite at the Ritz-Carlton," asked Flint.  
  
"Is that a proposal," Lady Jaye winked at him.  
  
"I...ummmm..errr,..so Recondo, why are there so many of these empty farmhouses," said Flint, conspicuously trying to change the subject. Lady Jaye frowned at him.  
  
"They're slash and burn units. A lot of people clear a field of jungle to get crops because the soil is rich for a short time. But after 2 or 3 seasons, the land is useless, and the farmers move on to a new patch. It's like they're killing the forest off," said Recondo.  
  
"Well, right now, it's about all we've got. Let's set up camp," said Flint.  
  
The Joes entered the building. It smelled musty, and there were spider- webs and fungus everywhere. Recondo tried the electricity, but it had either burned out or been disconnected long ago.  
  
"Lady Jaye, take the prisoner in another room and search him for any hidden weapons or tracking devices I might have missed. Recondo will make sure the perimeter is safe, and Roadblock and I will set up communications," ordered Flint.  
  
Lady Jaye led Xamot into a spare bedroom.  
  
"You know the drill. Put your hands against the wall with your legs spread," she said gruffly.  
  
"I think I have internal injuries. Perhaps you should check for those first," said Xamot.  
  
"I'll check AFTER I've searched you for weapons," she Jaye.  
  
"Could you remove the blindfold at least, please," asked Xamot.  
  
"Fine. There's not much to see here anyway," she said.  
  
"That's debatable," he replied.  
  
Lady Jaye removed the blindfold.  
  
"Can you remove the handcuffs too," he asked.  
  
"Don't even press your luck," replied Lady Jaye as she pushed him against the wall and started patting him down.  
  
"Jesus Christ! I can't believe Flint let you get on the Ferret with a thing this size," said Lady Jaye as she removed a knife from a holster on the side of his right leg.  
  
"For a moment, I thought you were paying me a compliment," he quipped.  
  
"Do you want me to gag you next?" asked Jaye.  
  
"Um...no" he answered.  
  
Lady Jaye continued to pat him down.  
  
"Hello...what's this," she said as she felt a hidden pocket in the side of his uniform. She could tell by the way he immediately tensed up that it was something he didn't want her to find. 


	4. Chapter 4

The Jungle Chapter 4  
  
By "Cadet Deming"  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Hasbro, Devil's Due, and Marvel do so please don't sue. Rated PG-13. Contains violence, adult language and situations. Reviews welcome, and thanks to the people that are enjoying it. Takes place immediately after Chapter 3.  
  
Lady Jaye felt deeper into the secret pocket on Xamot's uniform. She pulled out a thin metal ID-Card with: XAMOT:ACCESS ALL AREAS MAXIMUM SECURITY printed on it. She placed it in one of her own pockets. She felt deeper into the hidden fold and pulled out a plastic bag filled with a white powder.  
  
"That's not mine..I mean..that's sugar for my coffee." Stammered Xamot, for once not sounding cool and collected.  
  
"Well it's something Columbian all right," snarked Jaye. She put her finger in it and tasted it.  
  
"Hey. It really is mostly sugar. You need to get a better dealer because this can't be cut more than 10% pure", said Lady Jaye.  
  
"How would you know so much about that, my dear? I always figured you Joes weren't as innocent as you try to PR the public into believing," said Xamot.  
  
"When the Joes teamed up with the DEF I learned a lot about the narcotics trade, OK? Just because you're corrupt doesn't mean the rest of the world is" said Lady Jaye.  
  
"I could see more of me inside you than you're willing to admit," said Xamot.  
  
"Don't flatter yourself," she bantered.  
  
She put her hand back in the pouch and pulled out a photograph. It was a snapshot of Xamot and his twin with a beautiful blonde woman hugging each other. On the back was written: "Frederica+Tomax+Xamot=Forever".  
  
"Your mutual girlfriend," she asked.  
  
"Mutual "EX" girlfriend," said Xamot.  
  
"That's still...kind of creepy. She can't be very "ex" if you're still carrying around her picture," she said dryly.  
  
"Seven months ago. Seven months ago as of tomorrow," he said, with a trace of wistfulness.  
  
"I take it she dumped you," said Jaye.  
  
"She didn't leave me per se, she just.couldn't handle the whole Cobra thing. What happened to her afterwards she brought on herself," said Xamot, bitterness creeping in to his voice.  
  
"You know, most women don't find PSYCHOTIC TERRORIST to be a turn-on, no matter how handsome or athletic or rich the guy is," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but she was a Cobra too and...did you just call me handsome," smirked Xamot.  
  
"Shut up," said Lady Jaye shoving him back against the wall. She was slightly blushing though.  
  
"Shut up? Is that the best you could do? I thought you were supposed to be as orally gifted as I am. I guess you're not as worthy an opponent after all," said Xamot.  
  
"You're such an egomaniac," she hissed at him.  
  
"Oh, because that Flint of yours is so modest," snarked Xamot.  
  
"DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO FLINT. He's twice the man you are," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"I'm one of a set of identical twins, dear. Technically speaking, I'M twice the man Flint is." He winked.  
  
"At least Flint didn't DUMP ME 7 months ago," she said.  
  
"How long have you and beret-boy been going out," asked Xamot.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but 4 years. We've been in a relationship for 4 years," she said.  
  
"Four years, and still no Honeymoon Suite at the Ritz-Carlton? Not even an engagement ring or one of those Irish "friendship" rings? It doesn't seem like beret-boy is as committed to you as you are wasting your time being to him," volleyed Xamot.  
  
Lady Jaye shoved him against the wall harder. "My personal life is none of your business, and you're just being manipulative " she hissed in his ear.  
  
"How can you tell," he asked.  
  
Lady Jaye leaned in closer to him. Her mouth was just inches from his.  
  
"Because your lips are moving," she said.  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHHEMMMMM," said Flint behind her loudly. Lady Jaye turned and saw him standing with Roadblock and Recondo. The expression on his face was one of barely contained jealousy and rage.  
  
"I said to pat the guy down, not to feel him up," said Flint through gritted teeth.  
  
Recondo started to laugh, but Flint turned and gave him an "if looks could kill" stare which quickly silenced him.  
  
"I was just following your own orders," said Jaye. Her own anger was rising too. She'd grown used to Flint's jealousy and posessiveness, but his accusation of "consorting" with the enemy was beyond insulting. Her first instinct was to rip his head off verbally, but she didn't want to do so in public with not only Recondo and Roadblock but Xamot also watching and listening.  
  
"You know, something just occurred to me. We Joes aren't technically here. We're not officially on US business. That means all those Civil Rights rules and U.N. regulations don't really apply to us. So we're not technically breaking the law if we use more forceful questioning techniques," said Flint.  
  
"I think I'm beginnin' to like this place," said Roadblock, smacking his fist into his hand.  
  
"Roadblock and I will "interrogate" the prisoner in the other bedroom. Recondo will watch the perimeter, and Lady Jaye will work on communicating with Duke, Scarlett, and Snake-Eyes. Or is anyone going to question my orders as commanding officer in charge of this mission?" said Flint in a tone not to be argued with.  
  
"Fine. You're the Commanding Warrant Officer. We'll discuss this in private later," said Lady Jaye.  
  
Roadblock grabbed Xamot roughly and pushed him towards the door of the other room. "Ya know that time when you sold my Aunt Sara and Uncle Caleb a Red Rocket Restaurant and then tried to blow it up so you could get rich? Let's just say.Payback's a bitch."  
  
"This is a violation of my human rights! I'm a defenseless prisoner with internal injuries," said Xamot.  
  
"You're gonna have a few external injuries when I get done with ya," said Roadblock as he shoved him through the doorway.  
  
Flint slammed the door behind him. The whole house shook with the force of it.  
  
"You know, if we don't see it, it didn't happen," said Recondo.  
  
"Sure. And we're just following orders," said Lady Jaye grimly. After Recondo left, she added softly to herself, "That's the same thing the Nazis said".  
  
Lady Jaye put the headphones on and started to try to transmit a communications code.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE," Xamot let out a blood-curdling scream.  
  
Lady Jaye turned the sound up to drown out the sound of the chilling cries, and her own guilt. 


	5. Chapter 5

The Jungle Chapter 5  
  
By "Cadet Deming"  
  
Thanks to the people that like it. This is a blending of comic and toon, but Lady Jaye has her toon personality, and Flint has more of his comic personality. I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Hasbro, Devil's Due and Marvel do so please don't sue. Rated PG-13. Strong language and adult situations. This takes place at roughly the same time as Chapter 3.  
  
Tomax and several Siegies strode through the hallways of the Cobra compound. He was clearly in a dark mood.  
  
"Now let's get our stories straight. We were overpowered. My brother was captured while fighting valiantly, and if Dr. Mindbender has a problem, I'll just withdraw his funding," fumed the Crimson Guard Commander.  
  
A Crimson Guardsmen with Fred 321 printed on his pocket asked, "So we're not gonna tell him that 10 of us on Ferret 3-wheelers got our asses kicked by 4 Joes on foot because you thought it was more important to save your twin?"  
  
Tomax turned and looked at the man like he was something that crawled out of a sewer. He sneered, "No, we're going to leave that part out, you moron."  
  
"Dude, did you just complete a whole thought by yourself? I didn't know you could do that," the Siegie asked him.  
  
"The name isn't "Dude" it's Sir," said Tomax.  
  
"O.K. Sir Dude," said Fred 321, cowering, as he fell behind to blend in with the rest of the Siegies in the back.  
  
"I'm so fuckin tired of this jungle shit man. I want to put in a transfer. Get on the waiting list to be a sleeper agent Senator in California or something," said a Siegie with Fred 323 on his uniform.  
  
A Crimson Guard #330 said to him," You don't ask Tomax for a transfer while in the middle of an assignment after he leads a losing charge and gets forcibly separated from his brother. You wait until he disappears into a bathroom stall for 5 minutes and comes out in one of his trademark happy, hyper mood swings with white powder hanging from his nose. THAT'S when you ask for a transfer."  
  
"Well he and Xamot keep having less and less of those happy mood swings these days. I don't know if I can hold out for the next one," said Fred 323.  
  
"Yeah, ever since Frederica, like, disappeared. What happened to her anyway," said Fred 321.  
  
"Who cares? Frederica was a stuck up bitch," scowled Fred 323.  
  
"You're just pissed because when everyone found out she was banging the Twins, you lost $200 on the "What is Tomax and Xamot's Sexual Orientation" pool," said Fred 321.  
  
"There was a BETTING POOL on Tomax and Xamot's sexual orientation? You guys have way too much time on your hands. Besides, I wondered what happened to her too, but when people disappear in Cobra you don't ask questions, or you may also wind up being neither seen nor heard from again," said Fred 330.  
  
"Well, I think disappearin' is better than getting stuck stationed in a piss-ant Fourth world backwater jungle like now," said Fred 323.  
  
"Doc Mindbender claims he's almost done. Do ya think the Joes have a clue what we're really up to?" asked Fred 321.  
  
"You know, they might not be trying so hard to stop us if they did," said Fred 330.  
  
"Ahem. Would you mind sharing your conversation with the rest of the group," asked Tomax, taking notice of the three stragglers.  
  
"Oh..um..we we're just saying how admirable it was that you're...taking leadership in such a pragmatic manner. So....what's your plan on what do next," asked Fred 330, plastering a beaming yet fake smile on his face.  
  
"Ass-kisser", muttered Fred 323. Fred 330 kicked him while still maintaining his smile.  
  
"Well, so long as the Joes have my brother, if he feels any pain I'll be able to locate them through our psychic bond and.....hey wait a moment. I have an idea. We'll tell Dr. Mindbender that I planned on planting Xamot among the Joes to track them back to see if they have a base in the area! It's genius! I'm so brilliant!" said Tomax.  
  
"With all due respect sir, what if he doesn't feel any pain? It's not like the Joes go around torturing people," said Fred 330.  
  
Flash-Forward to later that night:  
  
"Jesus Christ! What did they do to you," asked Lady Jaye, horrified, as she walked into the bedroom that Flint and Roadblock had "interrogated" Xamot in. He was curled up in the fetal position on the floor, his wrists still bound in front by handcuffs. Although the light in the room was dim, provided only by the moon and a small upright flashlight. Jaye could see that he was covered in bruises. His right eye was swelling, and dried blood was crusted on gashes across his skin. In the darkness of the cabin, it looked black.  
  
Xamot coughed weakly, "Your so-called champions of law and order just felt 4 hours of beating me senseless was the right thing to do. Not that it matters because I didn't talk. But I'm sorry, you're THE GOOD GUYS".  
  
"You may not have talked, but you certainly screamed enough," Lady Jaye's manner softened, as she felt guilty about what she'd just said. "I am really sorry. Where does it hurt," she asked, pulling out a small First Aid kit. She opened an antiseptic pad and started dabbing his wounds with it.  
  
"My right side is the worst, but do you want me to go in alphabetical order, or start from the top and work my way down. Which would lessen your guilt more," he asked, groaning as he struggled to sit upright.  
  
"Hey, I'm not the one that hurt you," said Lady Jaye defensively.  
  
"Under U.S. law, if a group of people conspire to commit a crime, and 1 person carries it out, the whole group is responsible. If 5 people rob a store and 1 person shoots the store clerk, all 5 are judged guilty of murder," said Xamot.  
  
"You seem pretty much alive to me now, and as I recall, 12 hours ago you were shooting at me with a deadly laser, remember?" asked Lady Jaye.  
  
"My lasers were set on stun, and if it's any consolation to you it was nothing personal, just business," he said.  
  
"My laser was set on stun. That's what they all try to tell the judge," she said.  
  
"And what would you be telling a judge about this, hmmmm? It's OK to torture defenseless captives. We weren't in the U.S. We're the GOOD GUYS," said Xamot sarcastically.  
  
"We ARE the good guys," said Lady Jaye through gritted teeth.  
  
Xamot told her, "You know, when the so-called "good guys" do bad things, you cease to be the good guys. When you fight someone in close contact day after day, sooner or later you start to become what you're fighting. He who fights monsters...."  
  
".....Must take care not to become a monster him, or herself. Yeah, I've heard that before. It's Nietzschean philosophy," finished Lady Jaye.  
  
"A Joe who knows Nietzsche? I'm impressed. But I must admit, I've always been impressed with you," said Xamot. A beat passed between them.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere," said Jaye.  
  
"Will bribery? The going rate for turning a GI Joe agent is 10 Million Dollars" said Xamot.  
  
Lady Jaye almost dropped the antiseptic pad at that, but quickly recovered.  
  
"I'm not for sale," she said.  
  
"Not even up for a little rental? You can't tell me you've been lying on the rough floor at night here wishing you were SOMEPLACE else, wishing you were SOMETHING else. Instead of being a mere government agent you could be, what, a world famous actress? I own a movie studio among other things. I could make you a star. I have that kind of power you know. Your precious boyfriend Flint couldn't even make you an officer. Or would you rather languish, wasting your life as a lowly enlisted soldier getting sent as cannon fodder on missions you can't even acknowledge exist," he said.  
  
"I may be sleeping on a dirt floor, but at least I can sleep at night. There are things in my life I'm not crazy about, but at least I can live with them. You could offer me anything and everything, but it won't change the fact that I'm loyal to America and to GI Joe and to Flint," she said. Jaye looked away into the distance. "I'm not tempted by you Xamot."  
  
"The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves Lady Jaye. I dare you to look me in the eyes and tell me you're not..... tempted," he said.  
  
She turned and stared back at him. His breathing patterns had changed from the shallow pained sound of earlier to something deeper, more alive. Even covered in bruises and shadow, he was undeniably gorgeous. She noted his dark brown eyes locked upon hers, so different than Flint's, and yet so alike.  
  
And then, her eyes traveled to the insignia on the front of his uniform. It was the traditional hooded Cobra head. Despite the darkness of the room she could make out the stop sign red color, the warning.  
  
She looked back at his face.  
  
"I....I don't want to betray anyone," she said.  
  
"If no one else sees it, it didn't happen," whispered Xamot. He slid in closer to her. Lady Jaye stayed stock still. Xamot started to lean towards her, motioning for a kiss.  
  
"No," said Lady Jaye forcefully, pushing him away and standing up quickly.  
  
"Just..stay away from me..I won't betray anyone," she said running towards the door and slamming it shut behind her.  
  
"But you already have, my dear. You already have," said Xamot more to himself than anyone else. He opened up the palm of one of his hands. When Lady Jaye had let Xamot get so close to her, she hadn't noticed that he'd grabbed a set of master keys from her pocket. 


	6. Chapter 6

The Jungle Chapter 6  
  
By: Cadet Deming  
  
I don't own the rights to.you know the drill. PG-13. Adult language and violence. Chapters 1-6 are posted on Fanfiction.net. Reviews are very welcome. Thanks to the people that enjoy it.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?" said Flint, panic creeping out from under his usual macho bluster.  
  
Recondo shuffled nervously," I just went into the room to bring Xamot breakfast and it was empty. He must have escaped while we were asleep."  
  
"Flint, 1 of the 3-wheelers is missing, and Xamot must have disabled the others. They won't even start," said Roadblock.  
  
"We have to evacuate immediately. The other Cobras could be here at any moment," said Flint, moving from "borderline panic" to "leadership mode".  
  
The other Joes quickly gathered up their belongings and the communications center.  
  
"Which way do we go now?" asked Roadblock.  
  
"You know, I can track Xamot's Ferret. He probably went right back to the Cobra base," said Recondo.  
  
"Yeah, but we're outgunned, outmanned, we still don't know what Cobra's main objective is, the enemy knows we're here, and Xamot and his brother are probably looking for payback," said Flint.  
  
"Are you saying we should abandon this mission," asked Recondo.  
  
"I think we need to regroup, but I'm not about to give up," Flint said.  
  
"I contacted Intel headquarters last night. They can send in Snake-Eyes or Duke, but they can't promise they'll be here for another 24 hours," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"Do they ALWAYS have to send in Snake-eyes or Duke? Doesn't Hawk think I can handle this on my own," said Flint, macho bluster returning.  
  
"You know, Xamot was in such a hurry to leave last night, he left something important behind," said Lady Jaye as she reached into her pocket and pulled out...the plastic bag of drugs.  
  
"Is that heroin man? Does that mean Xamot's gonna go into withdrawal and die?" Asked Roadblock hopefully.  
  
"Actually, it's mostly sugar, trust me," said Jaye.  
  
"So, if I made brownies with it......"asked Roadblock.  
  
"Could we stop discussing the drugs my girlfriend has apparently been carrying around all night without telling me," said Flint, accusation in his voice.  
  
Lady Jaye, volleyed back: "Or should we start discussing the prisoner that escaped that you tortured first? Or the car Recondo stole, or.."  
  
"WOULD EVERYONE KNOCK IT OFF," shouted Roadblock. The nearby trees shook.  
  
"We've all done some things on this trip that we ain't proud of man! But we've got to pull ourselves together. We need a plan," he finished.  
  
"As I was saying earlier," Lady Jaye pulled out the metal ID card that she'd gotten from the escaped Crimson Guard Commander. "Xamot left without his maximum access security ID card. We can use this to infiltrate the Cobra compound and finally find out what they're up to," she said.  
  
Flint took the card in his fingers. "I think we found their Achilles heel. OK here's the story. Recondo will track the Ferret while the rest of us stay out of sight. If Cobra sends out a large group to find us, they'll probably take that same road back to the farmhouse. Since there are so few of us, we might be able to slip past them. Then, we'll infiltrate the base with the card. Yo Joe," he said.  
  
"YO JOE" the others shouted.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Cobra base:  
  
Dr. Mindbender dressed Xamot's wounds as he lay on a medical cot. His twin Tomax sat by his side.  
  
"So let me get this straight. You allowed yourself to be captured by the Joes so they would take you back to their hidden base, then you escaped from the base so your twin could find you 200 feet from the Cobra compound? How is that supposed to help us capture them if you ran away?" asked Dr. Mindbender.  
  
"I..um...er.MY SHOULDER! MY SHOULDER! OW MY SHOULDER," moaned Xamot, clutching his right shoulder.  
  
On cue, Tomax clutched his left shoulder. "MY BROTHER'S SHOULDER! MY BROTHER'S SHOULDER! OW MY..." he saw Xamot mouth the words "right shoulder" and switched his hand to clutch his own right side,".SHOULDER! OW MY BROTHER'S SHOULDER!"  
  
Mindbender sighed and pulled out some more ointment, "So what exactly happened? Did you learn anything useful?" he asked.  
  
"There's only 4 of them: Lady Jaye, Flint, Roadblock, Recondo, and Lady Jaye."  
  
"Roadblock is going to be Roadkill," said Tomax.  
  
"I don't see why you're complaining about your right shoulder. The worst lacerations are farther down below the right side of your rib cage. But more importantly...Have the Joes discovered my experiments?" asked the Doctor.  
  
"They don't have a clue what we're doing. They even tortured me for 4 hours, but I didn't let them break me" said Xamot rather smugly.  
  
Tomax said to his twin: "That was rather selfish of you. You could have just let them torture you for 4 minutes and I still could have located you without having to endure the agony as well".  
  
"I'm sorry dear brother. It was rather selfish of me. Perhaps next time I'll plan to get captured by Al-Quaeda soldiers. I'm told they shoot on sight and then you wouldn't have felt any psychic pain," said Xamot sarcastically.  
  
Tomax got angry and said, "Must you be such a.."  
  
"Snotty, sarcastic, egomaniac," finished Xamot.  
  
The twins looked at each other and exclaimed, "This is why we should never argue!" .  
  
"They tortured you for only 4 hours BAH! My record is 72, and that's without the Brainwave Scanner!" Mindbender said haughtily, tweaking his mustache.  
  
"And I'm sure you're," said Tomax.  
  
"Very proud of yourself," said Xamot.  
  
"Are you in the Guinness Book of World Records," the twins asked mockingly.  
  
"Actually, I'm holding out for a Nobel Prize," said the Doctor.  
  
"I thought they gave those out," said Tomax.  
  
"For the PREVENTION of torture," finished his brother.  
  
"When I get done here, they'll give me a prize for anything I want," Mindbender said.  
  
"Whatever floats your boat," said Tomax and Xamot.  
  
"How are our defenses? We should be on extra guard, now that we know the Joes are near," said the Doctor.  
  
"No need to worry," said Xamot.  
  
"I've already sent a platoon," said Tomax.  
  
"Back to the farmhouse the Joes are camped out in," said Xamot.  
  
"And the remaining men guarding this Cobra temple," said Tomax.  
  
"Are the best of the best" chimed the twins.  
  
Flash-Forward to a group of Siegies standing around lackadaisically:  
  
"OK. I'll bet $50 that Dr. Mindbender is really gay, $75 says that Destro cheats on the Baroness before the Baroness cheats on Destro, and $5 says we win the next Siegie-Stratoviper basketball game," said Fred 323 to a Crimson guard "bookie".  
  
"Hey, Fred 330, are you gonna bid, dude?" asked Fred 321.  
  
Fred 330 looked up from his copy of "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. "I'll bet $300 that Cobra Commander is really an alien," he said with withering sarcasm, and returned to his book.  
  
"Dude, if you're not even gonna play," said Fred 321.  
  
"Sorry if I have better things to do," said Fred 330.  
  
"Like what, this place is so fuckin' boring," whined Fred 323.  
  
"You could be fighting the Joes, for one thing," said Flint as he emerged from the shadows and punched the man with a right hook. Roadblock knocked 2 of the Siegies heads together, as Lady Jaye and Recondo kicked the remaining two.  
  
"Dude, we give up! I mean Sir Dude," whimpered Fred 321.  
  
"That was almost too easy," said Flint.  
  
"Would you prefer they put up more of a fight," asked Lady Jaye.  
  
"When you put it that way, no," said Flint. He turned to the captured Crimson Guardsmen and said, "OK, all of you, take off your uniforms and give them to us".  
  
The Siegies stripped and the Joes changed into their uniforms.  
  
"Hey! What a coincidence! They all fit," said Recondo.  
  
"Yeah, even though these guys are all a foot shorter than me and Lady Jaye's a chick!" said Roadblock.  
  
Flint put his hand in the pocket of the uniform he'd just put on. He said: "Hey, I've got something!". He pulled out..another plastic bag of drugs.  
  
"What is it with these guys, man," asked Recondo.  
  
Flint put his hand back in the pocket and pulled out another ID card. "Fred 345: Maximum Clearance," he read. "I guess we've got enough of these to go around! Let's go!  
  
They put on the Crimson Guard protective masks to cover their faces, and left the Siegies tied up. The Joes continued until they reached the outside of the compound.  
  
"Why do they always build these things to be so gaudy? You'd think a semi- secret criminal group would try to blend in with the scenery a little more" said Recondo, as the group stared up at the ostentatious Cobra "temple" encircled with red and gold Cobra heads.  
  
"Maybe Cobra Commander, or Serpentor these days, is overcompensating for something," said Flint.  
  
Lady Jaye pushed her maximum clearance card in its slot by the door, and the Joes entered.  
  
"We'll cover more ground if we split up. We can keep in touch with our "comm-links". One of us has got to find out what they're up to," said Flint. Everyone split up and went down a separate path.  
  
Lady Jaye walked quickly down a corridor. She heard strident footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw..Xamot. 


	7. Chapter 7

The Jungle Chapter 7  
  
By Cadet Deming  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Devil's Due, Hasbro, and Marvel do so please don't sue. Rated PG-13 to R. Adult language, situations, and violence. Thanks to the people who are enjoying it. Reviews very welcome.  
  
Xamot stood alone. He had apparently showered and had his wounds bandaged.  
  
"Hello. Don't you salute your commanding officer?" he asked, with 1 eyebrow cocked.  
  
Lady Jaye froze. She was wearing the Siegie helmet which covered her face, but she was still terrified of being recognized.  
  
Adopting a fake Southern accent to disguise her voice, she replied, "Good mornin' ya'll. I'm sorry ya'll," as she saluted him.  
  
"Good morning. Funny, I didn't know we had female Crimson Guards..anymore," he said.  
  
"I'm in the...affur-mah-tive action program, ya'll," she said edging her hand to the gun in her holster.  
  
"Affirmative Action Program? Did you really think you could fool me? Don't you know I have your figure memorized by now...LADY JAYE," Xamot said as he and Jaye both drew their weapons and faced each other in a Mexican standoff.  
  
Lady Jaye took the Siegie mask off with her free hand.  
  
"I suppose you're going to tell me your laser is set on stun," she said.  
  
"This one shoots bullets," said Xamot, as he cocked the trigger. The sound echoed down the corridor menacingly.  
  
"So does mine," said Jaye.  
  
"Well, apparently we're at an impasse. At least the balance of power is more in my favor since the last time we met," said Xamot.  
  
"I was kind to you, remember? If you had any sense of honor..or honor among thieves at least, you wouldn't try to repay me at point-blank range," she said.  
  
Xamot paused for a moment. "Would you rather settle this without weapons then? A little man to woman hand-to-hand combat," he asked.  
  
"Why would I trust you about that?" she asked.  
  
"I swear by my brother Tomax's life. No weapons, just you and me," he answered.  
  
"I believe you. Count of three?" she asked.  
  
"One," said Xamot.  
  
"Two," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"Three!" they both finished, placing their guns carefully on the floor in tandem.  
  
"CCCCCCCCOOOOOOBBBBBBBBRRRRRAA!" Xamot shouted.  
  
"YYYOOOOOO JOOOOOOOOOOEEEEE!" said Lady Jaye as they both ran towards each other.  
  
Lady Jaye lept and placed a roundhouse kick towards his torso. Xamot caught her leg with his hands and deflected it. She screamed in pain as he forced her to the ground. He pinned her to the floor, gripping both her wrists with his hands. She was quickly immobilized by the sheer mass and power of the rest of his body.  
  
"Do you finally give up," he asked triumphantly but still panting.  
  
Suddenly Lady Jaye kissed him on the lips. Xamot froze, staring at her in shock, as if he couldn't believe what she just did. His grip on her still remained as tight as before though.  
  
"Did you just....." he started to ask.  
  
"Yes," she whispered sultrily.  
  
The expression on his face changed from shock to hunger. Cautiously, he lowered his head and kissed the right side of her neck. She could smell his cologne, spicy and crisp. His body heat even warmer than the thick jungle air around her.  
  
"Is this happening," he whispered in her ear. He then kissed the left side of her neck.  
  
"Is this really happening," he moaned.  
  
"Doesn't it feel like it's happening," she whispered back, pressing her hips up against his groin. Although he was wearing the protective gear all Cobra males were required to use, she swore she could feel he was already aroused.  
  
Xamot stared down into her eyes. She could see the conflict in his expression, as if he was torn between giving into his lust, or if he was wary, not trusting her. Finally he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. She opened her own lips slightly, but he didn't enter her with his tongue, as if he still wasn't believing her. He pulled his head up again and gazed down at her.  
  
"Do you really want this?" he asked.  
  
"More than I've ever wanted anything in my life," she gasped.  
  
He returned to kissing her, probing her mouth with his tongue this time. Lady Jaye responded hungrily, tasting him. She tried to move her arms, but still he kept her pinned down.  
  
"I want to feel you Xamot. Let me feel you," she whispered into his ear, licking it.  
  
He paused again, but finally he released his grip. Jaye wrapped her arms around his body, exploring him.  
  
He winced, "careful please. I'm still injured".  
  
"I'm sorry," said Lady Jaye, touching him more gently. They went back back to kissing more passionately this time.  
  
"Xamot," she whispered softly.  
  
"Yes," he moaned.  
  
"You're forgetting something important," she said.  
  
"You mean protection? I've got some back in my chambers if you're worried," he said.  
  
"Um, no. What I meant was....I'm an actress," she hissed, as she grabbed his right side, the part below his rib cage that she felt was most tender and dug her fingernails in to him.  
  
Xamot screamed in agony as she threw him off of her.  
  
"I can't believe you're so egotistical you actually believed I would...." she shouted and then she kicked him hard on his side. Lady Jaye took off like a bat out of hell.  
  
Xamot curled into a ball, still in pain. "I miss Frederica," he coughed miserably.  
  
Meanwhile, in another part of the Cobra base:  
  
Flint stood in a lab. Cages of lab animals, especially mice, lined one wall. Several file cabinets and computers were stacked against it.  
  
Flint radioed into his comm-link:" Lady Jaye, Roadblock, Recondo! Come to the Eastern lab on the first floor. I think I found what we're looking for!"  
  
He grabbed a disk and placed it in a nearby computer. It started to upload. A few minutes later Lady Jaye, Recondo, and Roadblock all entered the room.  
  
"What is it asked Recondo," as they stared at the computer reading "10% UPLOADED...12% UPLOADED..14% UPLOADED".  
  
"KKKKKKKKKAAAAABLLLLLAMMM!"  
  
The door opened as a horde of Cobra soldiers led by Dr. Mindbender entered the room.  
  
"Surrender! We have you surrounded," Mindbender shouted.  
  
The Joe soldiers pointed their guns instinctively at the remaining soldiers, but Flint pointed his own revolver at the lab equipment.  
  
"Oh, I don't know about that. I don't think you'd want me or you firing at all these expensive computers and equipment and ruin your research on..." he turned and looked the fully uploaded computer. "GENETIC SPLICED SUPPRESSION OF HIV INFECTION.....WHAT," asked Flint in shock as he did a double-take. 


	8. Chapter 8

The Jungle Chapter 8  
  
By Cadet Deming  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Devil's Due, Hasbro, and Marvel do, so please don't sue. Rated PG-13. Adult language and violence. Reviews are very welcome.  
  
"Genetic Sliced Suppression of HIV Infection.What?" asked Flint incredulously.  
  
"You morons! The AIDS retrovirus infects hosts cells that contain both a CD4 marker and a coreceptor site on the cell membrane. Mouse cells don't normally have those parts. I've been doing genetic engineering combining human and mouse cells that produce mutant cells with AIDS resistant surface proteins. I've been able to transfer these cells to reproduce in the human immune system of people previously dying of the HIV retrovirus here," *said Dr. Mindbender triumphantly.  
  
"Could you say that in English? Cause I don't speak mad scientist," said Roadblock.  
  
"He's found a cure for AIDS," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"I love your language training Jaye," said Roadblock  
  
"But why? What would Cobra have to gain from this? You usually go around putting people under mind control and kidnapping orphans and blowing things up," said Recondo.  
  
"In case you haven't noticed the obvious, Cobra's old methods haven't worked. If we take over a country through war, we'll always be at war with its people. If we come in as saviors, preserving the lives of people's families and friends, the populace will welcome Cobra's dominion with open arms and give us absolute power. Besides, the stupid idea of trying to take over the world through its strongest link, namely America, was that madman Cobra Commander's idea. Serpentor's military brilliance understands the strategy of making the weakest countries our first conquests and building an empire through that method!" said Mindbender gleefully, while tweaking his mustache again.  
  
"So in other words, your intentions are as bad as they've always been, but you're just doing the right thing and saving the lives of millions of people because you have to," said Flint.  
  
"From the stories I've heard about the Joe team's exploits in Burugundi so far, you've been doing the wrong things and inadvertently threatening the lives of millions of people because you're sorely misguided. Doesn't that make us "the good guys" and you "the bad guys"? Do you really want to stop us now and let this horrid disease continue? A fine dilemma you have! What are you going to do? Stop Cobra out of your arrogant pride and be responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people? Or back off, let us succeed and take over not just one but several countries, and win the Public Relations war internationally? No matter what happens, you lose!" said the Doctor.  
  
Flint stood, his eyes going back and forth between his gun and the piles of research.  
  
"You're the commanding officer man. What are you gonna do," asked Roadblock.  
  
"I..I, " Flint started to say when suddenly...  
  
KKKKKAAAAAAAABBLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAM!  
  
The entire wall of research was blown in. The Joes were all thrown by the strength of the explosion and landed among the Cobras who were also knocked to the ground. The entire eastern section of the lab had been destroyed, a heaping pile of rubble its only remains. The Joes and Cobras all struggled to remove themselves from the shards of concrete and steel.  
  
At the top of the ruins of the side of the compound, Snake-Eyes appeared. He was brandishing two Kitana blades, which he whisked through the air melodramatically. As he struck a Ju-Jitsu pose, Scarlett brandishing her crossbow appeared behind him. A large squad of "greenshirt" U.S. soldiers stepped into view, all pointing rifles menacingly.  
  
"Well, the cavalry has finally arrived," said Scarlett.  
  
Dr. Mindbender crawled out from under the wreckage and fell to his knees. "MY RESEARCH! They ruined MY RESEARCH!" he wailed.  
  
"So what were they working on? Nuclear weapon? Biochemical Warfare? Those annoying JOIN AOL FOR A MONTH FREE CD's that keep clogging up my mailbox," asked Scarlett.  
  
Flint stood up and said somberly," They had a cure for AIDS".  
  
"MY RESEARCH!" wailed Mindbender, picking up the ashes and letting them fall through his hands to the ground.  
  
"Excuse me," asked Scarlett, her expression pained," You're kidding right?"  
  
"I'm deadly serious. They were going to use it as leverage to take over Sub-Saharan Africa," said Flint.  
  
"You did make copies right? Hey, Earth to Dr. Mindbender! You did keep back up copies of your work, didn't you?"asked Lady Jaye hopefully.  
  
Dr. Mindbender paused between gasps of hyperventilation.: "COPIES? Of course I made copies you morons.I...I...I kept the copies along the eastern wall!"  
  
Everyone turned and looked at the desolate remains of the wall.  
  
"Ya know the expression DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET," said Roadblock.  
  
"This isn't happening... This isn't happening... This isn't happening," hyperventilated Mindbender.  
  
"I thought you guys couldn't promise you'd be here for 24 hours," said Lady Jaye.  
  
"We said we couldn't PROMISE, but we were able to come," said Scarlett.  
  
"We needed you to come, we didn't need you to destroy the greatest advancement in medicine of the decade," said Flint.  
  
"So in other words you were going to pick.," started Recondo.  
  
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I WAS GOING TO PICK! The damage is done. Why did you have to blow up the fucking wall in the first place!?" shouted Flint.  
  
"Well, we all know Snake-eyes is supposed to be the guy that fixes everything in the end. That and he tends to use too much C4 in his explosives," said Scarlett.  
  
Although Snake-Eyes was wearing his mask, his expression seemed to be that of someone who was just told they'd run over an orphaned puppy with a truck.  
  
"Maybe Mindbender is bluffing? Maybe he does still have his records stored someplace else," said Lady Jaye, clinging to denial.  
  
"Do I look like I'm faking you imbecile?!" screamed the Doctor maniacally.  
  
Suddenly a horde of Siegies stormed the room with guns raised. Lady Jaye was relieved to see that neither of the Crimson Guard Commanders was with them.  
  
"Don't these guys ever quit?" sighed Flint as the Cobra and Joe soldiers cocked their rifles at each other from both sides.  
  
"Wait! Wait! Maybe we can cut a deal," said Dr. Mindbender, regaining his "sanity".  
  
"The Joe team doesn't cut deals with Cobra," said Flint. "Look, if both groups start firing now, we'll just get caught in the crossfire. Do you want to be responsible for any more deaths today Flint?" said Mindbender.  
  
The Warrant Officer winced at the Doctor's words, but he quickly retorted with, "Hey what are you blaming me for? Snake-eyes was the one who destroyed this project."  
  
Snake-Eyes again looked sheepish.  
  
"It really wouldn't be in your best interest to broadcast that GIJOE eliminated Cobra's noble efforts to save millions of people. If you tried to capture us, inquiries would be made into the nature of our work. There would be congressional hearings, trials, and intelligence reports to be filed on permanent record. If the truth of what happened here reached the general public or international community, GIJOE would be the villains and Cobra the heroes. Your own ability to lead would be called into question. It could mean the end of your career. Plus ,every Joe here would be punished along with you, dragged down into infamy. Do you really want to be remembered as the people who ruined the cure for AIDS?" he asked cunningly.  
  
Flint paused, letting Mindbender's words soak in. "And what exactly are you proposing?" he asked through gritted teeth.  
  
"You let me....and the other Cobras go free without a fight. In exchange for letting me.us evacuate, the public never finds out what really happened here. Do we have a deal?" he asked.  
  
"It's your decision Flint. Sometimes, when fighting the enemy, we have to sacrifice a few smaller principles to save the larger ones," said Scarlett.  
  
Flint paused, surveying the wreckage, and the faces of the men and women under his command, all waiting for his response.  
  
"Do we have a deal," asked Mindbender again.  
  
(*Information from THE SCIENCE, SPREAD, AND THERAPY OF HIV DISEASE by Michael DiSpezio) 


	9. Chapter 9

The Jungle Chapter 9  
  
By Cadet Deming  
  
I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Marvel, Devil's Due, Sunbow, and Hasbro do, so please don't sue. Rated PG-13. Adult language. Thanks to the people that are enjoying it. Reviews very welcome.  
  
Epilogue:  
  
Lady Jaye and Flint were changing out of the Crimson Guard uniforms they had stolen earlier and into regulation U.S. military attire in the back of a GIJOE Tomahawk helicopter.  
  
"I hate the way he finds just the right button to push," said Flint.  
  
Jaye stopped unbuttoning the uniform guiltily for a moment. "He..oh you mean MINDBENDER. Yeah, Mindbender. Well that's his codename for a reason. But cutting a deal with him was the best you could do under the circumstances," she said.  
  
"I hate to agree with that conniving, slimy bastard, but he was right. This whole trip we really were the bad guys," said Flint.  
  
"Well, we didn't know they were saving lives instead of threatening them, for a change. It's like Scarlett said. Sometimes when we're fighting for a good cause, we have to do things we're not proud of," said Lady Jaye. As she started to pull the Siegie uniform top over her head, she could smell the unmistakable scent of Xamot's cologne from when she had gotten so close to him earlier. From when she had let him.....  
  
"I didn't get any pleasure out of what I did to Xamot," said Flint.  
  
"What," she asked as guilty memories flooded back.  
  
"When I interrogated him, it was just business, nothing personal. Sometimes when we fight an enemy, we start to take on some of their traits. That whole philosophy of HE WHO FIGHTS MONSTERS, MUST TAKE CARE NOT TO BECOME ONE," said Flint.  
  
Jaye was frozen, wrapped in a sense of déjà vu. "Monsters...Dragons," she muttered to herself.  
  
"Do you need help with that uniform," asked Flint.  
  
"No thanks, not at all," she said as she broke her trance and went back to changing.  
  
"Anyways, like I was saying, sometimes when you fight a ruthless enemy, you become a little ruthless yourself. But so long as you don't get too close to the edge of "the abyss", if you don't enjoy it or cross a line you can't come back from, there's nothing to worry about. After all is said and done, Snake-Eyes is the one that's responsible for the damage. It won't be on my conscience," said Flint, although he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else listening.  
  
"And the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves," whispered Lady Jaye,  
  
"What," asked Flint.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Do you want to just pretend this whole trip never happened," asked Jaye.  
  
Flint stared at her for a moment and replied, "This trip never happened."  
  
Meanwhile, back at the remains of the Cobra base:  
  
Tomax and Xamot hurriedly packed their bags in their chambers. They were trying to get ready to evacuate. Xamot was moving slower though, as he was still injured twice.  
  
"Another Cobra investment gone bankrupt," said Tomax.  
  
"Must you reduce everything," said Xamot.  
  
"To a business analogy," finished Tomax.  
  
"I can't say it was a total deficit," said Xamot.  
  
"And how is that," asked his twin.  
  
"I got felt up by Lady Jaye twice!" said Xamot brightly.  
  
"Dear brother, we really need to get out more," sighed Tomax.  
  
"I'm not desperate," frowned Xamot.  
  
"Honestly, ever since Frederica left us," said Tomax.  
  
"She didn't just LEAVE us, she flat out BETRAYED us," said his brother.  
  
"She tried to turn herself into the authorities," said Tomax.  
  
"And was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic," said Xamot.  
  
"Who got put in an institution for the criminally insane," said his twin.  
  
"Because no one believed her story about a group of men with Crimson uniforms in their closets," said Xamot.  
  
"Posing as normal people and authority figures plotting to overthrow the U.S. government," said Tomax.  
  
The brothers both chimed, "It's the stuff of Greek tragedy."  
  
"But the point is, we offered her everything," said Xamot.  
  
"And she left us anyway, is that what's so upsetting to you," asked Tomax gently.  
  
"If we're both so wonderful, why do women always wind up resisting or leaving us," said Xamot plaintively.  
  
"Is that what this is about Xamot, you feel rejected so you start," said Tomax.  
  
"Chasing after one of our mortal enemies," said Xamot.  
  
"Because that would be the biggest ego trip of all, seducing the enemy," finished Tomax.  
  
"It's.....more than that," said Xamot.  
  
Tomax sighed, "It's not like we need to find soul mates. I'm already your soul mate," said Tomax.  
  
"I used to think that would be enough, but," said Xamot.  
  
"It's not anymore," both twins conceded as they finished packing.  
  
They left their room carrying their bags and walked to Mindbender's chambers. Although the door was closed, the unmistakable sound of him weeping inconsolably reverberated through the door.  
  
Tomax went to knock, and then paused.  
  
"Should we disturb him?" the brothers asked each other.  
  
Suddenly, they heard Dr. Mindbender shuffle, and he abruptly jerked the door open.  
  
"What!?" he shouted. His eyes were rimmed red and he was sniffling, but he was obviously trying to cover up the fact that he'd been crying.  
  
"The Mambas are ready to evacuate us," the twins said.  
  
"Are you......finished packing," asked Tomax.  
  
"Yes of course I am! I can't wait to leave this Godforsaken hellhole!" he said, as he grabbed his own baggage and left locking the door behind him. The three men started walking down the hall.  
  
"I could have had a Nobel Prize. I was this close," the Doctor muttered.  
  
"With all due respect Dear Doctor," said Tomax.  
  
"If you want to win a Nobel Prize," said Xamot.  
  
"Why did you become a terrorist?" the brothers chimed.  
  
"It's the principal of the thing!" said Mindbender.  
  
"Since when did you," asked Tomax.  
  
"Have principals?" finished Xamot.  
  
"Dr. Mindbender flashed them an "if looks could kill" stare.  
  
"Sorry," the twins said.  
  
"So, what are you going to tell Serpentor?" asked Tomax.  
  
"ME? Do you think I want to be the one that gets my spine ripped out," said Mindbender.  
  
"Apparently, it's missing already," said Xamot.  
  
"Beside, Serpentor LIKES you," said Tomax.  
  
"You're the Second in Command," said Xamot.  
  
"REMEMBER," Tomax and Xamot chimed in unison.  
  
"And as Second in Command, I say YOU should be the bearers of bad tidings!" said the Doctor.  
  
"Oh come now, pulling rank," said Tomax.  
  
"Is simply unfair," said Xamot.  
  
"So how are we supposed to settle this," asked Dr. Mindbender.  
  
"The old-fashioned way," said Tomax.  
  
"Count of 3," said Xamot.  
  
"Rock, Paper, Scissors," said the twins, as the three men motioned to start the old playground game.  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Joe base:  
  
General Hawk sat with Duke, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Flint, Lady Jaye, Recondo, and Roadblock.  
  
"In reviewing the facts of this case, I find it in our best interest to make all matters classified, never to be released outside of the highest echelons of government...and did Snake-Eyes really destroy every hope we had for a cure for AIDS?" asked Duke.  
  
Everyone turned and looked at Snake-eyes, who shrunk sheepishly in his seat.  
  
"I call this meeting to adjournment. As far as we are concerned, this mission never happened," said General Hawk sadly.  
  
The Joes all started to get up and leave.  
  
"Hey Duke, wait up. I've been thinking, you and I don't spend enough time together," said Scarlett, putting her arm around Duke's shoulder. Snake-Eyes hung back, looking forlorn through his mask.  
  
Lady Jaye walked past the table with the opened map of Africa containing the "HERE THERE BE DRAGONS" inscription. She then looked past it to a mirror hanging on the wall, and saw her own reflection.  
  
THE END 


End file.
